General Manager

General Manager – Fire Protection

Location: Williamsport, Maryland Employment Type: Full-Time Industry: Fire Protection | Fire Sprinkler | Fire Alarm | Life Safety

Regional Fire Protection, part of the Guardian Fire Services family, is on a mission to protect lives and property with trusted Fire & Life Safety Solutions. Regional Fire Protection delivers comprehensive fire and life safety solutions to customers throughout Maryland, Pennsylvania, and West Virginia, offering installation and maintenance services for fire sprinkler systems, alarm systems, extinguishers, emergency lighting, and more.

Position Summary

We are seeking an experienced General Manager – Fire Protection to lead the overall operations and growth of our Williamsport, Maryland branch. This individual will have primary responsibility for the branch's construction and new installation operations, while providing leadership and oversight across the broader branch, including service, inspection, testing, maintenance, sales, design, project management, and field operations.

This is a hands-on leadership position for an experienced fire protection professional who understands the full lifecycle of fire protection projects and can effectively lead multiple teams and functions. The General Manager will be responsible for people, customers, projects, financial performance, operational execution, and overall branch profitability.

The ideal candidate has a minimum of 5 years of progressive management experience within the fire protection industry, with demonstrated experience leading teams in sprinkler and/or fire alarm construction, project management, design/engineering, sales, service, and field operations.

Key Responsibilities

Branch Leadership & Operations

1. Provide overall leadership and direction for the Williamsport branch.
2. Establish branch goals and operational priorities aligned with company objectives.
3. Lead and develop department managers, project managers, superintendents, foremen, technicians, designers, engineers, sales professionals, and other branch personnel.
4. Oversee coordination between construction, service, inspection, testing, maintenance, sales, design, and project management teams.
5. Establish accountability for safety, quality, productivity, customer satisfaction, and financial performance.
6. Identify operational challenges and implement processes to improve efficiency and profitability.
7. Build and maintain a strong branch culture focused on teamwork, accountability, professionalism, and customer service.

Construction & New Installation

1. Provide senior leadership over the branch's fire sprinkler and fire alarm construction/new installation business.
2. Oversee project execution from estimating and sales through design, permitting, installation, inspection, and closeout.
3. Ensure projects are properly staffed, scheduled, resourced, and executed.
4. Partner with project managers, designers/engineers, superintendents, foremen, and field personnel to ensure projects meet scope, schedule, quality, and profitability expectations.
5. Monitor project backlog, labor utilization, material requirements, job costs, change orders, and project margins.
6. Develop and maintain relationships with general contractors, subcontractors, owners, developers, and other key customers.
7. Help identify opportunities for additional work and branch growth.

Service & Inspection Oversight

1. Provide leadership and accountability for the service and inspection/testing/maintenance functions of the branch.
2. Partner closely with the Service Manager to ensure service and inspection operations are meeting financial, operational, safety, and customer-service objectives.
3. Ensure effective coordination between recurring service/inspection customers and the construction/new-installation business.
4. Monitor departmental performance, staffing needs, customer retention, and growth opportunities.

Financial & P&L Management

1. Have overall responsibility for the branch's P&L and financial performance.
2. Develop and manage branch budgets, forecasts, revenue targets, gross margins, and operating expenses.
3. Monitor labor, materials, subcontractors, overhead, and other costs to ensure profitability.
4. Review financial performance and take corrective action when necessary.
5. Manage backlog and pipeline to support consistent branch revenue and profitability.
6. Partner with senior leadership on annual planning, forecasting, capital expenditures, and strategic growth initiatives.
7. Identify opportunities to increase revenue, improve margins, reduce costs, and improve operational efficiency.

Sales & Business Development

1. Work closely with sales leadership to develop and maintain a strong project pipeline.
2. Build relationships with key customers, general contractors, developers, consultants, and industry partners.
3. Participate in major bids, negotiations, customer meetings, and strategic account development.
4. Identify opportunities for organic growth across construction, service, inspections, and maintenance.
5. Represent the company professionally within the local fire protection and construction community.

People Leadership

1. Recruit, develop, coach, and retain high-performing employees.
2. Establish clear expectations and accountability for managers and field leadership.
3. Assess staffing needs and develop workforce plans based on backlog and projected growth.
4. Support the development of foremen, superintendents, project managers, technicians, and other future leaders.
5. Promote a culture of safety and operational excellence.
6. Ensure compliance with company policies, OSHA requirements, applicable codes, and industry standards.

Qualifications

1. 5+ years of progressive management experience in the fire protection industry.
2. Demonstrated experience managing fire sprinkler, fire alarm, or integrated fire protection operations.
3. Experience leading construction/new installation operations strongly preferred.
4. Experience managing multiple functional teams, including some combination of:
1. Project Management
2. Design/Engineering
3. Estimating
4. Sales
5. Superintendents
6. Foremen
7. Sprinkler Fitters
8. Fire Alarm Technicians
9. Service Technicians
10. Inspection/Testing personnel
5. Demonstrated P&L and financial management experience.
6. Strong understanding of fire protection construction, project execution, labor management, and job costing.
7. Experience working with general contractors, subcontractors, owners, and other construction stakeholders.
8. Strong leadership, communication, organization, and problem-solving skills.
9. Ability to balance strategic planning with hands-on operational leadership.
10. Ability to manage multiple priorities in a fast-paced environment.
11. Strong understanding of applicable fire protection codes, standards, safety requirements, and industry practices.

Preferred Experience

1. Previous Branch Manager, General Manager, Operations Manager, or Regional Manager experience within the fire protection industry.
2. NICET certification or other relevant industry certifications.
3. Experience with both sprinkler and fire alarm systems.
4. Experience managing a branch or business unit with full P&L responsibility.
5. Experience growing a fire protection business through both new construction and recurring service/inspection revenue.
6. Bachelor's degree in business, construction management, engineering, or a related field is preferred but not required.

Compensation

Target Base Salary: $130,000–$165,000 annually, depending on experience, scope of responsibility, and demonstrated P&L/branch leadership experience.

Additional compensation may include a performance-based bonus tied to branch revenue, profitability, and other key performance metrics, along with a comprehensive benefits package.

What Success Looks Like

The successful General Manager will build a high-performing, accountable branch that consistently delivers:

1. Profitable construction and installation projects
2. Strong project execution and backlog management
3. High customer satisfaction and retention
4. Effective coordination between construction and service/inspection operations
5. Strong employee recruitment, development, and retention
6. Safe and efficient field operations
7. Consistent revenue and gross-margin performance
8. Sustainable branch growth
9. Strong financial and operational discipline

This position offers